Effect of integrated nutrient management on growth and productivity of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal in Kymore Plateau and Satpura hills of Madhya Pradesh, India

The field experiment was carried out at the Dusty Acres Farm, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya (JNKVV), Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh to study the effect of integrated nutrient management for growth and yield of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal (Variety: Jawahar Ashwagandha-134). Tallest plants (49.35 cm) were observed at harvest stage, whereas higher number of branches per plant (5.78) of W. somnifera was observed at 90 DAS with T11, respectively. The mean number of leaves per plant (125.40) and LAI (10.345) of W. somnifera was higher at 90 DAS with T11. Mean CGR was maximum (2.536 g m-2 week-1) and mean RGR was highest (0.098 gg-1 day-1) of W. somnifera at 90 DAS and thereafter decline at 120 DAS and harvest stage with T11. Whereas, mean dry matter (1392.60 kg/ha) production of W. somnifera was higher at harvesting stage of crop with T11. Significantly higher mean root length (16.30 cm), root girth (2.26 cm) and mean dry root yield (612.8 kg/ha) of W. somnifera was recorded under T11 than the rest of treatments. Mean number of berries per plant (30.78) and mean number of seeds per berry (194.17) of W. somnifera were significantly higher under T11. Higher mean seed yield (62.6 kg/ha) and harvest index (43.61%) of W. somnifera was observed under T11 as compared to other treatments. Therefore, 100% recommended dose of NPK through fertilizers along with vermicompost (2.5 t/ha), FYM (5.0 t/ha) and ZnSO4 20kg/ha (T11) followed by 50% recommended dose of NPK through fertilizers along with vermicompost (2.5 t/ha), FYM (5.0 t/ha) and ZnSO4 20kg/ha (T14) and 100% recommended dose of NPK through fertilizers along with vermicompost (2.5 t/ha) and ZnSO4 20kg/ha (T10) were found to be better integrated nutrient management for the cultivation of W. somnifera

Exploratory Analysis of Nutritional Quality and Metrics of Snack Consumption among Nepali Children during the Complementary Feeding Period.

The World Health Organization recommends feeding snacks between meals to young children. This study explored nutritional quality of snacks consumed between meals and consumption metrics (% total energy intakes (%TEI) and amount of kcal from snacks) to understand correlations with dietary outcomes (total energy intakes and dietary adequacy) and body-mass-index-for-age z-scores (BMIZ). Data used were 24-h dietary recalls and anthropometric measurements among a representative sample (n = 679) of one-year-olds in Nepal. Nepali meal patterns for young children were identified through formative research and all foods/beverages consumed outside of meals were categorized as snacks. A nutrient profiling model was used to categorize snacks as healthy or unhealthy, based on positive and negative nutrient content. Snacks consumed between meals provided half of all energy consumed, and were associated with increased energy and nutrient intakes. The positive effect of snacks between meals on dietary adequacy was greater when these snacks were healthy, while increasing %TEI from unhealthy snacks consumed between meals was negatively associated with dietary adequacy. Consumption of snacks between meals was not associated with mean BMIZ among the children. These findings indicate that the provision of and nutritional quality of snacks are important considerations to communicate to caregivers. Discouragement of unhealthy, nutrient-poor snacks is critical for complementary feeding dietary guidelines in contexts experiencing nutrition transition

The outcome of platelet-rich plasma injection therapy in chronic plantar fasciitis

Background: Plantar Fasciitis is a frequently encountered problem in the everyday practice of orthopaedics. Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis is challenging to treating surgeon. Various conservative non-invasive treatment modalities are available like rest, casting, night splinting, NSAIDs. If conservative management fails then corticosteroid injection over the medial tuberosity of calcaneum is an effective treatment. But in recent years Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has proved to be a safe alternative approach with less complication. This study aims to find out the effectiveness of PRP injections in Plantar Fasciitis. Material and Method: In this study, 60 patients with Plantar Fasciitis were included. Regular follow up was done at an interval of 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 6 months after PRP injection. Pain intensity was measured before and after injection on every follow up using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Patients who have undergone at least 4 weeks of conservative treatment were included in the study. Results: After analysis of data, the average VAS score before injection was 7.01±1.35. Whereas at the end of the last visit (i.e. 6 months) average VAS score reduced to 2.2±1.25. This difference was statistically significant (ANNOVA test p <0.0001). Conclusion: we concluded that injection of PRP is a safe, convenient and effective approach to treat chronic Plantar Fasciitis

Assessment of total phenolic and flavonoid contents and potential biological efficacy of few Pinus species growing in Northern Himalayas

Environmental interventions and ecological adaptations harbor millions of valued substances and metabolites in plants which can be employed and commercialized for human benefits. Present study encompasses the untapped potential of pine needles of Indo-Himalayan region for the production of different metabolites and their pharmacological significance in terms of antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Total phenolic and flavonoid content from the needles of ten pine species was quantified using three different solvent systems. Results revealed that out of 10 different selected Pinus species, Pinus taeda L. showed the highest concentration of total phenolics, Soluble-F phenolics and flavonoids content (approx. 147.02 mg/g, 141.08 mg/g and 21.91 mg/g, respectively) as compared to other species. On the other hand, Pinus greggii Engelm. ex Parl. showed the highest Bound-W phenolic content (approx. 3.62 mg/g). Among all the selected plant species, the needles of Pinus echinata Mill. exhibited the highest and Pinus thunbergii Parl. had the lowest ratio of total flavonoids to total phenolics. Most of these compounds were found to have effective antioxidant activities as well as antimicrobial activity, as estimated by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and disk diffusion test, respectively

High Consumption of Unhealthy Snack Foods/beverages Is Associated with Lower Length-for-age Z-scores Among Children 12–23 Months in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal (P11-092-19)

Consumption of unhealthy snack foods and beverages (USFB) among young children in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) is rising, however, little is known about their effect on nutritional outcomes during the complementary feeding period. This study aimed to assess the association of high versus low USFB consumption on the iron status and growth of 12–23 month old children living in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from February – April 2017 among a representative sample of 12–23 month old children and their caregivers (n = 745). Dietary (interactive 4-pass 24 hour recalls) and anthropometric measurements and capillary blood samples were collected to estimate dietary intakes of energy and nutrients, Z-scores for length-for-age (LAZ) and weight-for-length (WLZ), and indices of iron status. Percentages of dietary energy intakes (%TEI) from USFB (defined using the United Kingdom's Food Standard Agency's nutrient profiling model) were calculated. LAZ, WLZ, hemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin (SF), and transferrin receptor (TR) concentrations of children classified into the lowest versus the highest terciles of %TEI from USFB were compared using multivariable linear regression analyses after adjustment for covariates that influence nutrition. Ninety-one % of all children had consumed a USFB in the previous day. On average, 46.9% TEI came from USFB among the highest tercile consumers, compared to 5.2% TEI among the lowest. Nineteen % of children (n = 138) were stunted (LAZ < –2), 5.2% (n = 38) were wasted (WLZ < -2), while only four children were overweight/obese (WHZ > 2). Thirty-eight % of children (n = 257) were anemic and 28.7% (n = 193) had iron deficiency anemia. In the adjusted model, mean LAZ was nearly 0.3SD lower among high USFB consumers than low consumers (P = 0.003). No associations were found with WLZ or biochemical concentrations. In this LMIC context, urban 1–2 year old children who were high USFB consumers were significantly shorter compared to those who were low USFB consumers. To safeguard child nutrition in LMIC, policies and programs many need to address the increasing access and use of inexpensive, nutrient-poor USFB

Energy intake from unhealthy snack food/beverage among 12‐23‐month‐old children in urban Nepal

Unhealthy snack food and beverage (USFB) consumption among young children has been noted in many low‐income and middle‐income countries (LMIC), however, there is a lack of information on the contribution of these foods to children's diets in these contexts. This study describes the nutrient profiles and costs of snacks consumed by young children in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, and assesses the proportion of total energy intake from nonbreastmilk foods (%TEI‐NBF) contributed by USFB and factors associated with high USFB consumption. A cross‐sectional survey was conducted among 745 randomly sampled primary caregivers of children aged 12–23 months. Of 239 unique snack foods and beverages consumed, 180 (75.3%) were classified as unhealthy based on nutrient profiling, with 158 of these being commercially branded. Median cost/100 kcal of USFB was lower as compared with healthy snacks. Ninety‐one percent of children had consumed a USFB in the previous 24 hr, with these foods contributing a mean %TEI‐NBF of 24.5 ± 0.7 among all children. Biscuits (10.8%), candy/chocolate (3.5%), and savoury snacks (3.4%) provided the largest %TEI‐NBF. Children who were older, female, or from the poorest households had significantly higher odds of high USFB consumption, whereas children whose caregivers were of upper caste/ethnicity or had achieved tertiary education had lower odds of consumption than other children. To reduce USFB consumption, interventions should seek to further understand social/cultural drivers of feeding practices, target disadvantaged populations, and ensure caregivers are fully aware of the nutritional quality of food products they choose for their children

Novel cost-effective design for bio-volatilization studies in photosynthetic microalgae exposed to arsenic with emphasis on growth and glutathione modulation

A novel laboratory model was designed to study the arsenic (As) biotransformation potential of the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Nannochloropsis sp. and the cyanobacterium Anabaena doliolum. The Algae were treated under different concentrations of As(III) to check their growth, toxicity optimization, and volatilization potential. The results revealed that the alga Nannochloropsis sp. was better adopted in term of growth rate and biomass than C. vulgaris and A. doliolum. Algae grown under an As(III) environment can tolerate up to 200 μM As(III) with moderate toxicity impact. Further, the present study revealed the biotransformation capacity of the algae A. doliolum, Nannochloropsis sp., and Chlorella vulgaris. The microalga Nannochloropsis sp. volatilized a large maximum amount of As (4,393 ng), followed by C. vulgaris (4382.75 ng) and A. doliolum (2687.21 ng) after 21 days. The present study showed that As(III) stressed algae-conferred resistance and provided tolerance through high production of glutathione content and As-GSH chemistry inside cells. Thus, the biotransformation potential of algae may contribute to As reduction, biogeochemistry, and detoxification at a large scale

Breeding for increased nitrogen-use efficiency: a review for wheat (T. aestivum L.)

Nitrogen fertilizer is the most used nutrient source in modern agriculture and represents significant environmental and production costs. In the meantime, the demand for grain increases and production per area has to increase as new cultivated areas are scarce. In this context, breeding for an efficient use of nitrogen became a major objective. In wheat, nitrogen is required to maintain a photosynthetically active canopy ensuring grain yield and to produce grain storage proteins that are generally needed to maintain a high end-use quality. This review presents current knowledge of physiological, metabolic and genetic factors influencing nitrogen uptake and utilization in the context of different nitrogen management systems. This includes the role of root system and its interactions with microorganisms, nitrate assimilation and its relationship with photosynthesis as postanthesis remobilization and nitrogen partitioning. Regarding nitrogen-use efficiency complexity, several physiological avenues for increasing it were discussed and their phenotyping methods were reviewed. Phenotypic and molecular breeding strategies were also reviewed and discussed regarding nitrogen regimes and genetic diversity

Unhealthy Snack Food and Beverage Consumption Is Associated with Lower Dietary Adequacy and Length-for-Age z-Scores among 12-23-Month-Olds in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Consumption of unhealthy snack foods and beverages (USFBs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is rising, with global awareness increasing about risks of overnutrition. However, little is known about the relation between USFB consumption and young children's diet/nutritional outcomes in contexts where nutrient density of complementary foods is often low. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the association of high USFB consumption, compared with low consumption, with nutrient intakes, dietary adequacy, iron status, and growth in young children in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a representative sample of 745 primary caregivers of children aged 12-23 mo. Food consumption was measured through quantitative 24-h recalls, and child anthropometric measurements and capillary blood samples were collected. Using adjusted linear/logistic regression models, nutrient intakes, dietary adequacy, length-for-age and weight-for-length z-scores (LAZ and WLZ, respectively), and iron status were compared between lowest and highest tertiles of consumption based on the contribution of USFBs to total energy intakes (TEIs). Mediation of the relation between USFB consumption and LAZ via lowered dietary adequacy was explored using structural equations modeling. RESULTS: On average, USFBs contributed 46.9% of TEI among the highest tertile of consumers, compared with 5.2% of TEI among the lowest. Compared with low-USFB consumers, high-USFB consumers had lower nutrient intakes and a greater proportion were at risk of inadequate intakes for 8 nutrients. Mean LAZ was nearly 0.3 SD lower among high-USFB consumers than low consumers (P = 0.003), with this relationship partially mediated through dietary adequacy. No associations were found with stunting prevalence or iron status. Prevalence of overweight/obesity was low. CONCLUSIONS: In this LMIC context, high USFB consumption among young children was associated with inadequate micronutrient intakes, which can contribute to poor growth outcomes. Addressing increased availability of USFBs in LMIC food systems should be a priority for policies and programs aiming to safeguard child nutrition